How to navigate required observation, lab, and advanced practicum courses
All CD students are required to complete observation, lab, and advanced practicum courses as part of their degree programs. Please see the information below to assure that you are taking these courses in the required order AND during the correct semester. Please note that some courses are only offered ONE TIME PER YEAR.
ECD refers to the Early Childhood Development Concentration. CAD refers to the Child and Adolescent Development concentration.
For further information, use the Degree Roadmaps to determine when you should be taking these courses.
Enrolling in Lab Courses and the Advanced Practicum Course
Students planning on taking CD 2281, 2282, 2291, 2292, 2286, 2287, and 5575 should follow these steps:
1. Enroll in whichever course you are ELIGIBLE to take (see the graphic above) through MyCoyote during your enrollment appointment. DO NOT enroll in a course if you HAVE NOT met the prerequisites.
- For example, you are not eligible to enroll in CD 5575 until you have completed CD 2282, 2292, or CD 2287. Generally, this means you will be taking CD 5575 during your Junior or Senior year.
- All lab courses and the advanced practicum course include both a seminar and clinical section. When you enroll, you will know the time and day of the seminar class immediately, and your practicum site will arranged before the semester begins.
- Currently in-person practicum sites are only available for CD 2281, 2282, 2291, 2292, and 5575. Students taking CD 2286 and 2287 are completing virtual assignments at this time.
2. How to select an IN-PERSON Lab site for 2281/2291 OR 2282/2292:
- You will receive an email from your lab or advanced practicum instructor about several weeks before the semester begins. This email will be sent to your student email address and will contain a link to select your placement day and time. Access to this link is first-come-first-serve.
- Several days before the semester begins you will receive another email telling you which center on campus (ITLS or the Children's Center) and classroom you are assigned to. You may NOT begin your hours until you have completed the required immunizations and have gathered the paperwork detailed in the emails you have received from your instructor.
3. How to select an IN-PERSON Advanced Practicum site for 5575:
- Starting approximately SIX weeks before the semester begins, you will receive a series of emails from your instructor detailing how the sign-up process works. This first email will detail important dates you will need in order to sign up for a pre-approved lab or internship site.
- Approximately FOUR weeks before the semester begins, you will receive a second email detailing the list of pre-approved sites and basic information about the each site. At this time you should NOT contact a site until instructed to do so. Your job at this time will have one week to review this document and think about which sites match up with their career goals, schedules, etc. After this week, students will receive a third email with the link to the sign up for their site (approximately 3 weeks before the start of the semester)." Students will then have one week to sign up for a site. After this week, a fourth email will be sent to students letting them know their next steps."
Lab/Advanced Practicum FAQs:
- Students are not guaranteed their preferred site; sign-ups will happen on a first-come-first-served basis. You will receive a date and time that the sign-up will be sent out, we encourage students to be available at this time to log in and sign-up if they want a chance at getting their preferred site.
- Students may not complete their hours at their place of employment - please do not ask.
- Students should NOT contact sites until instructed to do so. When this happens, it creates confusion and miscommunication for the students, site supervisors and instructors.
- It is the student's responsibility to check their My Coyote email regularly, you will receive all correspondence through your My Coyote email (this includes during winter and summer breaks) - emails received from personal accounts will not be accepted.
- All sites have different requirements, but most will ask for the ones outlined in the Lab and Advanced Practicum Requirements Resource Sheet. Please view this document and the Vaccine Resource Sheet for more information.
- It is the student's responsibility to pay for their vaccinations, TB tests and/or fingerprinting services. If you are in need of financial support to help pay for these requirements, consider applying for the Basic Needs Emergency Grant.
- Expect to be at your lab site for 3 hours per week and your advanced practicum site for about 6 hours each week to fulfil the required hours.
- For any additional questions about CD 5575, please email cdinternship@csusb.edu and you will be directed to the appropriate faculty member.